Is Most of Reformed Deformed?
The much-discussed and derided "new Calvinism" arose in the last several decades as a critique movement.
Why are so many of our churches small and dying? Why do we baptize so few new believers? Why don't we have more large churches welcoming thousands of new members? Why does so much of our supposed growth come from church transfers? More importantly, what's our solution?
A Different Opinion on the PCA’s Insider Movement Study Committee
"The permanent committee had already approved a concise and strongly worded statement that spoke to this issue clearly and adequately."
Recently I had an exchange of FB messages with a PCA Teaching Elder concerning the story we published a few days ago on The Aquila Report entitled ‘Ad Interim Study Committee on Insider Movements Overwhelmingly Approved’ While not willing to have his entire message reprinted, he did state this purpose for writing: The... Continue Reading
Toward Denominational Unity in the Reformed Church in America
Truth-filled, grace-saturated, gospel-centered, Bible-grounded unity is precious beyond measure
We must not only affirm the gospel when having it presented to us. We must teach our people to articulate it. We must sing it strong and preach it loud. We must be passionate about clarity and be clear with our passions.
Why We Must Celebrate Grace
Because of that grace, obedience is a privilege, worship is a privilege, sacrifice is a privilege, and ministry is a privilege.
Apart from God's gift of grace I would make up my own laws, worship the creation, sacrifice only for what would bring me personal comfort and pleasure, and seek to be served rather than looking for ways to serve others.
Prodigal Children: If It Can Happen to John Piper, It Can Happen to You
There's nothing we fallible parents can do to ensure our kids will keep the faith.
"One of the most resilient and cherished myths of parenting is that parenting creates the child…Many Christian writers and parents have…drifted into what could be called spiritual determinism. We have absorbed the cultural belief in psychological determinism but spiritualized it with Bible verses, and one verse in particular." --Leslie Fields
What’s in a name?
'Reformed' in current popular parlance is somewhat like 'confessional.'
So the eclipse of Presbyterians in the evangelical world's adoption of the term 'Reformed' is probably in large part a function of the transformation of the term's meaning by the contemporary evangelical scene. This is not something I myself will lose any sleep over.
What happened to popular Presbyterianism? Boice, Ferguson, Sproul, Frame
Somehow "Reformed" today (2012) is more associated with Baptists (or Baptistic folks)
In the 1980s and 1990s when I was first introduced to Reformed theology three names dominated the seen were James Montgomery Boice (Senior Minister at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia), Sinclair Ferguson who was teaching full-time at the time at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, and R.C. Sproul. They are all Presbyterians. In those days "Calvinism"/"Reformed" and Presbyterian were synonyms.
Theologian DA Carson: Hell Is Not Filled With People Who Repent of Sins
Carson delivers final message at the Gospel Coalition Women's Conference
"Hell is not filled with people who are deeply sorry for their sins," Carson stated. "It is filled with people who for all eternity still shake their puny fist in the face of God almighty in an endless existence of evil, and corruption, and shame, and the wrath of God."
Is Sanctification “Synergistic”?
"We must rely not upon the means of sanctification but upon the God of all grace." -J. Murray
This is a topic with a long history of discussion in Reformed circles, and I have long sensed that the term synergism is less than helpful in this particular context
James K. A. Smith’s Failure to Engage VanDrunen on the Two Kingdoms
Two kingdoms doctrine is not about the division of life into spheres.
The medieval Roman church claimed that since all things should be directed to the love and obedience of God, all power should be exercised subject to the lordship of the papacy. Both swords – the spiritual sword and the temporal sword – belong to the pope, who then delegates one such sword to the magistrate on the condition that the magistrate exercises it obediently to the pope.